1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a closure panel control apparatus, particularly, a closure panel control apparatus, which can sense pinching of an object caused by a closure panel.
2. Description of Related Art
Lately, a closure panel control apparatus of a vehicle often has a pinching limiting function. Specifically, the closure panel control apparatus senses pinching of an object between a closure panel and a frame during a closing movement of the closure panel based on a change in a rotational speed of an electric motor, which drives the closure panel. When the pinching of the object is sensed, the closure panel control apparatus immediately stops the closing movement of the closure panel and executes an opening movement of the closure panel by reversing rotation of the electric motor.
In one exemplary control operations a threshold value is set for measurement data (e.g., a rotational speed of a drive electric motor of a power window apparatus that drives a window glass to open or close the same), which is measured in response to the load applied to the window glass. Then, the pinching of the object is sensed in view of the threshold value.
However, in the case of the previously propose sensing method, an increase of the pinching load is transmitted to the motor through a resilient body, such as a resilient component of a regulator, so that, for example, a motor rotational period and a motor rotational speed do not change simultaneously with the occurrence of the pinching, thereby resulting in a delay in the sensing of the pinching and an increase in the sensed load. As a result, a significant damage may possibly be applied to the pinched object.
In order to address the above disadvantage, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-070949 (corresponding to US 2007/0052293A1) teaches a technique of correcting a change start position of a motor rotational speed in view of a delay in sensing of pinching of an object.
According to the technique of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-070949, the occurrence of the pinching is determined in view of the estimated prior pinching amount of the object, the pinching of which has started before the sensing of the pinching amount of the object takes place. Thus, it is possible to avoid the application of the excessive pinching load and the long pinched state of the object.
That is, the pinching amount, which is not directly sensed with the pinching amount sensing means, is estimated with the pinching amount estimating means. The pinching determining means determines the pinching based on the pinching amount, which is sensed with the pinching amount sensing means, and the estimated prior pinching amount, which is estimated with the pinching amount estimating means.
In this way, the pinching can be sensed reliably. Also, the pinching can be sensed earlier by the amount of time, which corresponds to the estimated pinching amount. Thereby, it is possible to avoid keeping the pinched object in the pinched state.
However, in the case of the technique of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-070949, when an external disturbance (e.g., a closing movement of a vehicle door) occurs during an upward movement of the window glass, a possibility of making an erroneous sensing of pinching is increased in comparison to a case where the correction using the above estimated pinching amount is not made.